Page 177 of Phoenix's Fire

"Another Dragon decimating our men?" a woman gasped.

I had to lick my lips to convince my voice to work. "They call this one the Phoenix. They sayshewas once ours." My breath hung as I looked up at the faces around me.

Hands had stilled. A few mouths hung agape. In the basins, the water trickled softly, keeping the room from falling completely silent, but it seemed each and every woman in here understood the implications of my words.

"Which one?" Petra asked. "The Ross girl or Mrs. Kobrick?"

"Ayla," I said. "Ayla Ross. Jameson told Tobias while I was working on him. Tobias was holding him. I pretended not to hear, but Tobias didn't realize it was something to hide. You know, because he's simple like that."

"Simple like how?" the brusque woman pressed.

"Simple enough to forget there are things he shouldn't tell women," I admitted. "Simple enough that he was telling me, just a few days ago, how after their hunt..."My chest hurt from how hard my heart was pounding, but this wasn't something I could keep to myself.

These women all seemed to agree with me. They all were saying things that could get us punished. They had as much to lose with these changes as I did, so Ihadto tell them.

I forced myself to finish, "I was cleaning his injury, and he said we'll be married sooner than I thought. He said he'll propose properly and everything. I told him he had to wait until I turned, but he said..." My throat pinched so hard the words trailed off. I forced in a breath, making it work again. "They're changing the rules."

"What?!" the woman across from me gasped.

"Changing how?" Helah begged.

"Stop!" the brusque woman snapped. "Give the girl some patience. This has to be hardest on her. Callah, dear, it's okay. Take your time."

I offered her a weak smile and nodded, forcing myself to breathe deeply so I could actually say this out loud. "The age of marriage is going to be reduced to eighteen, and the men have been told to consider if there are any girls they'd prefer to marry. Men will be promoted to hunters at a younger age as well. Not only will we girls all be married earlier, but the mourning period for widows will be reduced to a mere ninety days unless they are pregnant or nursing."

And around me, the room erupted into chaos. Some women wailed. Others screamed. Most were just raging about the arrogance of men, and how we should get a say as well. I couldn't make out all of their words, but no one in the room was screaming for me to be punished.

That was enough to let me finally breathe easier. My hands clenched the edge of the basin and I bent in relief, glad I'd been brave enough to say something. We needed to know. The women were the ones who'd suffered for this, and it wasn't a burden I should carry on my own, but I didn't know what to do! I wanted to trust Tobias, but Gideon had been so charming before he wed Meri. He'd been just as kind as Tobias, and I knew how that had ended.

But from behind me, a woman clapped her hands together smartly in a way I was much too familiar with. Spinning around, I found Ms. Lawton making her way into the laundry with a hamper of her own cradled against her chest so she could clap.

"Enough!" she barked, waiting for the room to quiet, but her eyes were locked on me. "Callah, did Mr. Warren tell you that?"

Oh, I'd messed up! I'd said too much, and now I'd just gotten Tobias in trouble. Somehow, I had to play this off, and for the first time, I was truly grateful that everyone believed he was an idiot.

"Yes, Ms. Lawton, but I'm not sure he realized what he was telling me."

Her intense look shifted to one that felt almost proud. "Good girl," she praised. "I'd hoped that match would be beneficial for you, and it seems I was right."

"Beneficial?" I asked.

She moved to take a spot across from me, pausing only long enough to getthere. It made everyone else pull in closer, convincing me the woman who managed the girls' hall still held sway with them all even after marriage.

"Mr. Warren is said to be simple, but also slow to temper. We've all seen the healers snap at him. I do believe your friend, Miss Ross, screamed at him without any reaction at all. My hope, Callah, was that it might mean a safe marriage for you."

"He's very kind, but Gideon - "

"Had a handsome face, and Merienne was susceptible to that. The other girls called him quite the catch, and she always wanted to be the perfect woman. She ignored his temper, Callah. She convinced herself that the privilege of such a match would be worth it. She was wrong."

"I never knew," I mumbled.

"No, nor are we allowed to tell you girls about the realities of marriage. Well, no more than the general courses the elders have approved. I also know Merienne told both you and Ayla. That scene in the dining hall was hard to watch, child."

"I'm sorry," I said, dropping my eyes to the clothes I was washing.

"My concern," Ms. Lawton continued, "is that this is a trap. Callah, both of your roommates have been banished. There's talk you might be corrupted as well."

I nodded, not trusting myself to say anything, but wanting to show I'd heard her.

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